Chateau Lafite Rothschild Winery

The blended red wines of Bordeaux are famed across the world for their complexity, their flamboyance and their age-worthy qualities for good reason. Not only does this corner of France have a viticultural tradition that stretches back over two millenniums, the past...
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The blended red wines of Bordeaux are famed across the world for their complexity, their flamboyance and their age-worthy qualities for good reason. Not only does this corner of France have a viticultural tradition that stretches back over two millenniums, the past few hundred years have seen heritage wineries spring up which have a dedication for excellence, expression and quality that is surpassed by no other wine region around the world. This is due, in part, to the great chateau wineries of the Gironde river valley, and none are so famous or revered as that of Chateau Lafite Rothschild, whose wine has consistently been recognized as some of the best the world has ever seen. The vintage bottles which come out of this winery regularly sell for record prices at auction, and are snapped up by collectors, investors, and those who wish to have a piece of history in their cellars.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild gained its first flush of fame and Europe-wide popularity in the 1750s, when it was proclaimed and celebrated as the favorite wine of King Louis XV. This royal endorsement saw it become deeply fashionable across the continent, with every crowned head in Europe and every aristocrat jump at the chance to proclaim their love of the wines coming out of this Medoc winery. Its influence even spread to the New World, with Thomas Jefferson famously writing of his love of this wine, thanks to the complexity and depth of flavor, and the astonishing ageing potential the wines showed, even at this early time. In the 1860s, the winery was taken over by Baron James de Rothschild, and he took the first growth status his winey had been granted ten years earlier, and developed it further to make it resemble more closely the wines it produces to this day.

Chateau Lafite Rothschild is currently overseen the latest generation of the Rothschild family, with Baron Eric de Rothschild taking care of proceedings. The vineyards are planted with the same varietals as they have always been - namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and the winery continues to use traditional and time honored techniques in order to produce their world-beating blended red wines.